Network Layout and Design Tool - 14 Sep 2004

With a landslide 56 percent of the vote, Ipswitch's WhatsUp Gold nailed the Best Network Layout and Design Tool award. Ipswitch's SmartScan technology uses your router tables to discover and map devices according to your network's hierarchy and provides separate maps for each subnetwork. Scheduled sweeps of the network notify you of new devices and automatically map them. You can map the entire network or specific segments; you can also create a blank map, then use WhatsUp Gold's tools to populate it. Double-clicking any icon on a network map displays all device information; a touch of a button shows color-coded arrows that reveal dependencies among devices on a map.

WhatsUp Gold also provides availability and performance monitoring and alert management. The software tracks the performance of resources such as disk space and memory and alerts you if a problem occurs. Active Discovery monitors crucial services and can restart failed services, and integrated Web access features let you use the software from any Internet-connected PC.